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Post by huladollar on May 4, 2016 12:38:50 GMT -5
I'm going to take a contrary view here and say that I really enjoyed this annual... I've always thought it was the best of the three that Marvel published, and I remember being blown away by the story when I first read it. I think what appeals to me is the idea of a slightly different version of Luke's story. Here we have two friends (kind of like Luke and Biggs, and all Marvel Star Wars comics fans, of course, knew who Biggs was), growing up under the shadow of the Empire (in Luke's and Bigg's case, as a faraway threat; for Flint and Barney, the threat is much more present), and then making choices, like Luke and Biggs did, about what to do about that. Luke's story is paralleled even to the point of having family killed and then using that loss to make a major decision about one's future. The fact that Flint doesn't make the choice we think and hope he might was a pretty powerful kick in the gut to a teenaged-me. And I always liked the idea that Luke doesn't take Flint seriously at first. It shows how Luke himself has matured from the "But I was going into Toshi station...!" wet-behind-the-ears farm boy that he was not too long ago, and that maybe even Flint's presence is an embarrassment to him, serving as it does as a reminder of his own earlier self.
The pacing is slow, the colors are muted, the artwork has a sketchy feel to it, and the story is mostly lacking the humor that Duffy was bringing to the regular title, but all of that worked for me in terms of setting up the atmosphere and the gravitas, if that's not too strong a word, of the story. (I won't try to defend the plot holes that the Confessor and others have pointed out!) And, heck, I always kind of liked the scene with the shoe-shine lackey, though I totally agree that that image of Darth getting his boots shined while rubbing his hands together and barking orders at his troops strikes me as much more worthy of Ming the Merciless than Dark Lord of the Sith.
And I'm saving the best for last... The part of the story that has stuck with me the most all these years later. You share in your review, Confessor:
But that sentence blips past the (for me) most impactful part of the whole story: The person approaching the distraught Flint is never shown. The dialogue is shared through word balloons as we get closer and closer on Flint's face. The off-camera figure says things like, "I know how you feel... I had almost forgotten what it was to feel that way... []... I did not take you seriously before, and I should have... forgive me." Hokey smoke, people, we're meant to think the speaker is Luke! Or at least, not be sure who is speaking. (High school-aged me thought it was Luke!) This plays off on Luke's not taking Flint seriously earlier in the story, and sets up, sadly, the realization that if Luke had treated Flint a little more respectfully earlier on, Flint might have chosen a different path at the end. Admittedly, this effect only lasts a page or two, because right away we see Luke talking to Barney about his absent friend Flint, and right after that, we see Flint putting on his stormtrooper outfit and becoming "one of our men." But, man, those few moments where I wasn't quite sure what had happened blew my mind as a kid. Especially when considered as a parallel to Luke's own story... What if Darth had found Luke before Ben did? Was this how someone turned Darth himself to the dark side? Is the choice between light and dark really that narrow? The idea that the very same words could be used to sway someone to the light or the dark path had a pretty big impact on me. So much so that I'm still blabbing on about it thirty-three years later!
And because I can't let it go: I also realized, as a young one, how only a comic book could pull that stunt off (having one character speak when we're led to think it's another). A book would have had to double-talk its way around the dialogue: "And then a figure approached and starting talking... but I'm not gonna say who just yet!" and a movie, of course, would give away the secret as soon as we heard the voice. Only in comic form can pictures and words be used together to misdirect us in quite this way.
Anyway... After three decades, I finally get the chance to share all of that, so thanks for the forum, and thanks (as always) for all the great reviews!
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Post by Roquefort Raider on May 4, 2016 14:40:28 GMT -5
(...) I also realized, as a young one, how only a comic book could pull that stunt off (having one character speak when we're led to think it's another). A book would have had to double-talk its way around the dialogue: "And then a figure approached and starting talking... but I'm not gonna say who just yet!" and a movie, of course, would give away the secret as soon as we heard the voice. Only in comic form can pictures and words be used together to misdirect us in quite this way. Excellent point, huladollar. There's a brilliant sequence in Bendis's Daredevil where a character is hiding in plain sight for several issues, and when you are told he's been there the whole time and go back and check, sure enough, there he was. Comics don't get enough respect for this unique aspect of their storytelling potential. |
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Post by philfrombrentwood on May 4, 2016 15:26:18 GMT -5
This story wasn't printed in the UK Return Of The Jedi Weekly although the later Flint and Barney story was and subsequently was rather confusing. It did, however, appear in the Spider-Man and Zoids Weekly shortly after ROTJ was cancelled. I did catch it then and apart from the shot of the AT-ATs, it didn't inspire and seemed rather out of place both in terms of story and art.
I have been following this thread for a while now and am delighted that it has caught up with the storylines when I started getting the aforementioned Return Of The Jedi Weekly from my local newsagents.
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Post by Confessor on May 4, 2016 17:28:25 GMT -5
I'm going to take a contrary view here and say that I really enjoyed this annual... I've always thought it was the best of the three that Marvel published, and I remember being blown away by the story when I first read it. I think what appeals to me is the idea of a slightly different version of Luke's story. Here we have two friends (kind of like Luke and Biggs, and all Marvel Star Wars comics fans, of course, knew who Biggs was), growing up under the shadow of the Empire (in Luke's and Bigg's case, as a faraway threat; for Flint and Barney, the threat is much more present), and then making choices, like Luke and Biggs did, about what to do about that. Luke's story is paralleled even to the point of having family killed and then using that loss to make a major decision about one's future. The fact that Flint doesn't make the choice we think and hope he might was a pretty powerful kick in the gut to a teenaged-me. And I always liked the idea that Luke doesn't take Flint seriously at first. It shows how Luke himself has matured from the "But I was going into Toshi station...!" wet-behind-the-ears farm boy that he was not too long ago, and that maybe even Flint's presence is an embarrassment to him, serving as it does as a reminder of his own earlier self. The pacing is slow, the colors are muted, the artwork has a sketchy feel to it, and the story is mostly lacking the humor that Duffy was bringing to the regular title, but all of that worked for me in terms of setting up the atmosphere and the gravitas, if that's not too strong a word, of the story. (I won't try to defend the plot holes that the Confessor and others have pointed out!) And, heck, I always kind of liked the scene with the shoe-shine lackey, though I totally agree that that image of Darth getting his boots shined while rubbing his hands together and barking orders at his troops strikes me as much more worthy of Ming the Merciless than Dark Lord of the Sith. And I'm saving the best for last... The part of the story that has stuck with me the most all these years later. You share in your review, Confessor: But that sentence blips past the (for me) most impactful part of the whole story: The person approaching the distraught Flint is never shown. The dialogue is shared through word balloons as we get closer and closer on Flint's face. The off-camera figure says things like, "I know how you feel... I had almost forgotten what it was to feel that way... []... I did not take you seriously before, and I should have... forgive me." Hokey smoke, people, we're meant to think the speaker is Luke! Or at least, not be sure who is speaking. (High school-aged me thought it was Luke!) This plays off on Luke's not taking Flint seriously earlier in the story, and sets up, sadly, the realization that if Luke had treated Flint a little more respectfully earlier on, Flint might have chosen a different path at the end. Admittedly, this effect only lasts a page or two, because right away we see Luke talking to Barney about his absent friend Flint, and right after that, we see Flint putting on his stormtrooper outfit and becoming "one of our men." But, man, those few moments where I wasn't quite sure what had happened blew my mind as a kid. Especially when considered as a parallel to Luke's own story... What if Darth had found Luke before Ben did? Was this how someone turned Darth himself to the dark side? Is the choice between light and dark really that narrow? The idea that the very same words could be used to sway someone to the light or the dark path had a pretty big impact on me. So much so that I'm still blabbing on about it thirty-three years later! And because I can't let it go: I also realized, as a young one, how only a comic book could pull that stunt off (having one character speak when we're led to think it's another). A book would have had to double-talk its way around the dialogue: "And then a figure approached and starting talking... but I'm not gonna say who just yet!" and a movie, of course, would give away the secret as soon as we heard the voice. Only in comic form can pictures and words be used together to misdirect us in quite this way. Anyway... After three decades, I finally get the chance to share all of that, so thanks for the forum, and thanks (as always) for all the great reviews! Really well put across post, huladollar. I mean, I disagree that the story was anything special or that the emotional pay-off at the end was anything to write home about, but that's the thing with books, comics or films, you might see something in a story that I don't or find something that resonates with you emotionally in a way that it just doesn't with me and visa versa. Also, you're absolutely right that, when it comes to having a particular character speaking, as the reader is being led to believe that it's another, is something that can only really be done in comics. The fact that Duffy was perhaps teasing us into thinking that it was Luke standing behind Flint never occurred to me at all. This isn't a comic that I've read very often though, since I didn't get to see it reprinted here in the UK in the '80s, when I was a kid. So, I only read it for the first time in the mid-'90s when I picked up a copy of Star Wars Annual #3. I was mostly underwhelmed by the story then, but I definitely always assumed that it was Vader stood behind Flint the whole time. The black legs and boots just said "Vader" to me, but of course, Luke was also dressed in black trousers and boots, so why couldn't it be Luke? I wonder if that was legitimately something that Duffy was trying to do or whether it's just the way that you interpreted it? Anyway, great post! This story wasn't printed in the UK Return Of The Jedi Weekly although the later Flint and Barney story was and subsequently was rather confusing. It did, however, appear in the Spider-Man and Zoids Weekly shortly after ROTJ was cancelled. I did catch it then and apart from the shot of the AT-ATs, it didn't inspire and seemed rather out of place both in terms of story and art. Ahhh...that answers a question I was wondering about. I stopped buying Return of the Jedi Weekly sometime in late 1985, shortly after Cynthia Martin took over as the series' regular penciller. My dislike of her art and the over-abundance of reprints that had begun to clog up the magazine made me drop the title. At the time that I dropped ROTJ Weekly "The Aprentice" hadn't been reprinted in the UK and I wasn't sure it ever was. So your information about it being reprinted later on in the pages of Spider-Man and Zoids Weekly is really interesting. Thanks! I have been following this thread for a while now and am delighted that it has caught up with the storylines when I started getting the aforementioned Return Of The Jedi Weekly from my local newsagents. Glad that you've been enjoying the thread and I hope you continue to do so. Welcome aboard!  |
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Post by huladollar on May 6, 2016 1:30:28 GMT -5
Thank you! It was fun to write. And, agreed: some of the favorite reviews I've read of various things have been times when I disagreed with the opinion being expressed, but the reasons for the opinion are so well articulated that I can almost see the book/comic/film/whatever in a new way. Most of the time, my opinion doesn't change, but it's fun to get a chance to see things in a new light. I'm fairly certain that the confusion... maybe misdirection is a better word... was intentional. To start with, if she wanted us to know it was Vader right away, why not just show Vader? But along with that, the dialogue quoted by me above was certainly carefully chosen so that it could have come from either Luke or Vader: "I know how you feel..." Luke, remembering Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru; "It has been some time since I heard anyone speak the way you do now..." Luke, remembering himself once saying to Ben: "I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father"; "I did not taken you seriously before, and I should have... Forgive me," Luke, feeling bad for the way he'd treated Flint earlier in the story. (Obviously, none of this dialogue was actually spoken by Luke, but it was written so that it could have been.) And even on unto the next page... We see Luke, Leia and Lando talking by the Falcon, and Leia says to a figure off-screen: "You have to believe us... We're so sorry about what happened to you... To your home... Your village... And we're very sorry about your friend..." She's obviously (she's not, but bear with me!) talking to Flint, whom Luke has just recruited the page before, and the "friend" she references is Barney, who was killed just two pages before. Except! The very next panel is (holy cats!) Barney, very much alive and arm in a sling, and we realize things are not as we thought. Two pages later: there's Flint, putting on the stormtrooper outfit, and we finally realize what has taken place. Well... all of that happens if you're me and you're reading this when you're fifteen years old. Other readers may have picked up on what was actually happening a little earlier.  But, yeah, I think the uncertainty was planned by Ms. Duffy. And now having written all that, I promise I won't keep banging on about it, but as I said above: it's been fun finally getting the chance after thirty-three years to share these ideas with a group of sympathetic listeners! Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone! (I missed my chance to say "May the Fourth be with you" by one day.  ) |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on May 6, 2016 7:33:18 GMT -5
I'm fairly certain that the confusion... maybe misdirection is a better word... was intentional. To start with, if she wanted us to know it was Vader right away, why not just show Vader? But along with that, the dialogue quoted by me above was certainly carefully chosen so that it could have come from either Luke or Vader: "I know how you feel..." Luke, remembering Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru; "It has been some time since I heard anyone speak the way you do now..." Luke, remembering himself once saying to Ben: "I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi like my father"; "I did not taken you seriously before, and I should have... Forgive me," Luke, feeling bad for the way he'd treated Flint earlier in the story. (Obviously, none of this dialogue was actually spoken by Luke, but it was written so that it could have been.) And even on unto the next page... We see Luke, Leia and Lando talking by the Falcon, and Leia says to a figure off-screen: "You have to believe us... We're so sorry about what happened to you... To your home... Your village... And we're very sorry about your friend..." She's obviously (she's not, but bear with me!) talking to Flint, whom Luke has just recruited the page before, and the "friend" she references is Barney, who was killed just two pages before. Except! The very next panel is (holy cats!) Barney, very much alive and arm in a sling, and we realize things are not as we thought. Two pages later: there's Flint, putting on the stormtrooper outfit, and we finally realize what has taken place. OK, you've convinced me. As I noted in my review, Vader's "I know how you feel..." dialogue makes a whole lot of sense these days, in light of what we saw in the prequels, but it wouldn't have made a lot of sense back in 1983. After reading your very persuasive argument, I agree that Duffy was almost certainly intending the reader to assume that this was Luke speaking to Flint, since, as you point out, Luke could've easily been taking about his own uncle and aunt. The fact that we never actually see Vader (apart from his boot) in this scene and the following scene, in which Leia talks "off panel" to someone we might assume is Flint...but who turns out to be Barney, is the real clincher. But like I said earlier, this never occurred to me as a reader at all. If you don't mind, I'd like to insert a brief paragraph about this into my review of annual #3. I will, of course, attribute this observation to you. Is that OK? |
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Post by huladollar on May 6, 2016 9:39:08 GMT -5
Absolutely! I'd be honored. (Insert blushing emoji here.) Yes... Credit to Duffy for figuring out that something must have happened to make Darth turn to the dark side, beyond just "student turns evil, betrays his master." It's occurred to me, Confessor, that if you, like philfrombrentwood, read this issue and its follow-up #92 out of order, thanks to the UK publishing schedule (pronounced "shedule", because UK), then you would have walked into this issue (assuming you were connecting the two in your mind) already knowing it was the story of two friends, one of whom turned dark and one light. So you would have been reading the annual waiting for that shoe, or well-shined boot, to drop. Further assuming you weren't all that invested in these two minor characters as it was: you were basically reading a slow-moving story of which you already knew the ending. I'm not going to argue too strongly that reading them in the order they were originally published would have had more of an emotional impact... Roquefort Raider (who I assume read these in the original publication order) shared upthread that it didn't for him. But, again, reading this as a parallel to Luke's story, only to find out at the end it's more a parallel to Darth's story (as much as we knew at the time), was pretty amazing to fifteen-year-old me. And now I really do promise I'll let it go! I can be cool with the idea that not everyone on this forum thinks this issue is the Greatest Work of Art Ever.  BTW, I've been reading this forum for about a year, and I just realized today that there's a "like" button at the top of the posts. So... retroactive likes for all the reviews and the answers to my questions! |
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Post by rossn on May 8, 2016 4:25:38 GMT -5
I like most of the issues in the Tay Vanis arc but I tend to think it was dragged on too long. Really? I can't say I've ever thought that. It's one of the absolute pinnacles of the series in my eyes, along with the Pariah arc, and the ESB adaptation, so in some ways it's a pity it didn't go on longer. I like Jo Duffy a lot as a SW writer though...she might be my all-time favourite writer on the series, although David Michelinie is a close second. She really understood the characters and the setting, which made for some great comics. (Sorry for the late reply!) Yeah, I think it suffered from the fact that we never knew the characters that were being searched for, which weakened the emotional impact for me (especially when they do eventually find Vanis). When you add in the fact that we have already had a similar story with our heroes trying to find a carbonite frozen and captured Han the poltline never quite gripped me, even if as I say I liked many of the individual aspects. (Also I know I'm a huge minority but I think I've made my feelings on the ESB adaptation clear. ) Regarding the 1983 Annual I agree that it wasn't great but I'm not entirely sure why. I know the name 'Barney' isn't really any more silly than 'Luke' in context but it somehow feels a little off. |
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Post by rebeljedi on May 8, 2016 21:17:12 GMT -5
Here's the back of the upcoming Star Wars Epic Collection The Original Marvel Years Volume 1-  It's Jaxxon! |
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Post by Confessor on May 9, 2016 9:10:21 GMT -5
Absolutely! I'd be honored. (Insert blushing emoji here.) OK, done...and with a "thank you" for your contribution. It's very much appreciated. Really? I can't say I've ever thought that. It's one of the absolute pinnacles of the series in my eyes, along with the Pariah arc, and the ESB adaptation, so in some ways it's a pity it didn't go on longer. I like Jo Duffy a lot as a SW writer though...she might be my all-time favourite writer on the series, although David Michelinie is a close second. She really understood the characters and the setting, which made for some great comics. (Sorry for the late reply!) Yeah, I think it suffered from the fact that we never knew the characters that were being searched for, which weakened the emotional impact for me (especially when they do eventually find Vanis). When you add in the fact that we have already had a similar story with our heroes trying to find a carbonite frozen and captured Han the poltline never quite gripped me, even if as I say I liked many of the individual aspects. I get what you're saying but, for me, the fact that we never actually knew Vanis made no difference to my overall enjoyment of this arc. In fact, I think it's testament to Duffy's writing skills and affinity for the SW characters that readers did care about the mission so much. Duffy writes the central cast so well that, the fact that they all care so much makes us care too. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but the moment when we finally meet Vanis in issue #80 is a hugely impactful moment, as far as I'm concerned, and it was back in the day too. Those final few pages of Star Wars #80 blew me away and they are still seared into my mind now. That was some "heavy" comic storytelling and a wonderful conclusion to the Search for Tay Vanis arc. (Also I know I'm a huge minority but I think I've made my feelings on the ESB adaptation clear. ) Ha! Yes, indeed...and I thought we'd agreed never to speak of those feelings again.  Regarding the 1983 Annual I agree that it wasn't great but I'm not entirely sure why. I know the name 'Barney' isn't really any more silly than 'Luke' in context but it somehow feels a little off. Yeah, I know what you mean. Barney doesn't really sound like a Star Wars name, does it? |
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Post by Confessor on May 9, 2016 9:14:12 GMT -5
Here's the back of the upcoming Star Wars Epic Collection The Original Marvel Years Volume 1- It's Jaxxon! Ahhh, good...Marvel once again adhering to the age old wisdom that green, 6-foot-tall, carnivorous space-bunnys sell comics. |
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Post by Confessor on May 20, 2016 10:27:08 GMT -5
Star Wars #75Cover dated: September 1983 Issue title: TidalScript: Mary Jo Duffy Artwork: Ronald Frenz (layouts)/Tom Palmer (finished art & inks) Colours: Glynis Wein Letters: Joe Rosen Cover art: Tom Palmer Overall rating: 8½ out of 10  Plot summary: On the water planet of Iskalon an Imperial missile explodes near the underwater city of Pavillion, causing a huge tidal wave that destroys the settlement and sweeps Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia through the complex in a deluge of water. As the two Rebels struggle to survive the destruction, their Iskalonian ally Kendle suddenly appears and leads them through the flooded complex. As the trio round a corner, they are confronted by an orange skinned Iskalonian wielding a sword, causing a frightened Kendle to quickly swim away, leaving the Luke and Leia to face their assailant alone. Meanwhile, on the planet Gamandar, Lando Calrissian, Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO and Kendle's husband Mone begin their search for K-3PX, the droid of missing Rebel spy Tay Vanis. Lando dons a disguise and leads the group towards the Imperial citadel, while, unseen by anyone else in the party, R2 leaves the group in order to communicate with the city's central computer. Once finished at the computer terminal, the little astro droid is spotted by an Imperial officer who orders him to join a shipping work detail. After securing an audience with Imperial Admiral Tower, Lando, who pretends to be a war profiteer and droid dealer named Drebble, requests information about Vanis, who he says he has a personal vendetta against. In return for information about Vanis he is prepared to cut Tower in on his contraband business. Tower explains that Darth Vader is also interested in Vanis and would doubtless be indebted to Drebble if he succeeds in eliminating him. The Imperial allows Drebble and the rest of the group to purchase any droids they want from the citadel's work detail, but as the party leaves, a spy who was recently on Iskalon confirms the Admiral's suspicions that the group are, in fact, Rebels. Making their way to the shipping and unloading area, Lando and the others quickly locate K-3PX. However, when Lando reveals who he is to the droid and mentions that Luke Skywalker is on Iskalon, the droid shoots them with a stun blast and the Rebels are all captured and thrown into a detention cell. Back on Iskalon, the orange skinned warrior leads Luke and Leia up to the ocean's surface, where they clamber onto the floating wreckage of Pavillion, gasping for air. Surveying the destruction and countless bodies around them, the pair find the lifeless form of Primor, the ruler of Pavillion and Mone's farther. Kendle re-appears from the water, but is quickly chased away by the orange skinned warrior again. Luke confronts the mysterious Iskalonian, who identifies himself as Kiro and explains that, just prior to the Imperial attack, he caught Kendle sending a message to Admiral Tower on Gamandar, betraying the Rebels to the Empire. He surmises that she did it to ensure the safety of her family, while not anticipating that the Empire would destroy the entire underwater settlement in order to kill Luke and Leia. The two Rebels are hit by the chilling realisation that their friends have been sent into a trap on Gamandar. Comments: So, here we have the second part of the Iskalon saga, which picks up right where last issue left off, with the water planet's oceans pouring in on top of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. Artist Ron Frenz does a fantastic job of conveying the tremendous force and momentum of the gushing water, as the steel and glass of Pavillion collapses under the enormous pressure of the Iskalon Effect. The panels showing the two Rebels being buffeted and swept along by the currents are very well drawn and you can really feel the peril in this sequence. Actually, Frenz does a really good job throughout this issue, with some imaginative panel layouts, while inker extraordinaire Tom Palmer adds his usual magic touch to the art. I also really like how Frenz and Palmer dress Lando when he adopts his "Drebble" persona, with the Rebel con man sporting a rakish crimson beret and cape, nicely set off with a roguish eye-patch...  I've always thought that this disguise of Lando's looked really cool and, as I noted in my review of Star Wars #49, it's not a million miles from the disguise that Luke adopted in that issue. Talking of Luke, for some reason his hair seems to grow mid-comic, when it gets wet, and is much longer than it was earlier in the issue. I mean, I know it's wet and all, but it really is suddenly a lot longer than it was before. The fact that Lando chooses to adopt his arch nemesis's name (who we met back in issues #71 and #72) is a nice in-joke for regular readers of the series. The gag actually becomes funnier when Lando re-uses the name Drebble in future issues, with the rational being that any trouble he causes or any people he upsets while he's using the Drebble persona will eventually catch up with his enemy. Ultimately, the joke will turn out to be on Lando, since using Drebbles name for covert Rebel missions turns out to have some very unexpected consequences, as we shall see in issue #85. Jo Duffy's story continues to build to its conclusion, as the level of treachery escalates and our heroes find themselves in dire straights. Actually, there's a fairly interesting narrative structure to this issue, with lots of good plot twists and moments where the action cuts away from one set of characters with a cliffhanger, while events transpire off-panel and we rejoin them some time later. For example, we don't actually get to see what happened when the treacherous droid K-3PX betrayed Lando and the others on Gamandar; the action cuts away, back to Iskalon, and the next time that we see Lando and the gang, they are all unconscious in a prison cell. Duffy also introduces us to a new Iskalonian character named Kiro, who will become a major supporting cast member in the series. Right from his first appearance, Kiro cuts a dramatic, ferocious-looking and very memorable figure...  I've always thought that Kiro has something of a Japanese manga look to him and this is no coincidence, as Frenz recalled in an interview with the jedinews.co.uk website in 2011: " The Iskalonians were designed around Kiro, and he was intended to be an homage of manga anime which was something that Mary Jo Duffy enjoyed." I like that Duffy initially leads the reader to believe that Kiro is a threat to our heroes, before showing us that, in fact, he only wants to lead them to safety. It's a well executed fake out and serves to underscore that things are not what they seem in this story, when it comes to perceived allegiances. This foreshadows the attendant revelation that the seemingly gentle and trustworthy Kendle is actually a traitor, which comes as quite a shock and is a fantastic plot twist. Certainly, I can remember my jaw dropping when I first read this revelation as a 10-year-old. It's a tribute to Duffy's skills as a writer that, even though we only met Kendle last issue, we, as readers, have already come to fully trust her. We've seen ample evidence of what a good grasp Duffy has on the main Star Wars characters in recent issues, so I don't want to repeat myself by praising this aspect of her writing again, except to say that I love how she writes R2-D2 here. The lovable astro droid is as feisty and resourceful as he is in the movies and seems to always be one step ahead of the "official" secret mission being carried out by Lando, Chewbacca, C-3PO and Mone. It's as if R2 fully anticipates that Lando will ultimately make a mess of things and it will up to him to sort things out, which, of course, is exactly what happens, as we shall see next issue. Imperial Admiral Tower comes across as a dangerous and wily foe and I love the cool-looking red, cybernetic eye that Frenz gives him. It's also amusing that Tower sees straight through Lando's Drebble disguise and cover story, thinking to himself, "What an appalling performance", as Lando leaves, believing that his ruse has been successful. The way in which Duffy reveals that Tower is onto the Rebels serves as a nice reminder that not every Imperial officer is an idiot. Making Tower as suspicious and clever as he is serves to make him all the more human and all the more threatening. On the downside, I have a hard time accepting that Lando would openly use the name Millennium Falcon, when arriving at an Imperial garrison on a covert Rebel mission. The name of that ship would surely be far too well known for its Rebel associations to be safe. Of course, the cover story is that Mone has bought the ship and it's therefore no longer associated with the Rebel Alliance, but, I dunno … I think the name would still arouse considerable suspicion from the Imperials on Gamandar. To be honest, the entire plan of going directly to the Imperials to find out Vanis's whereabouts seems needlessly risky and not particularly well thought out. But then again, it is exactly the sort of ad hoc, on-the-fly planning that we see fairly often in the Star Wars films, so I can't be too harsh about it. Summing up, Star Wars #75 is another gripping instalment of the Iskalon saga, although it very much functions as the "slow second act" of this three-part story. That said, the excellent characterisation, high quality artwork and shocking revelations still make this a really fun Star Wars comic. It's just that it's not quite as good as last issue or next month's instalment. Continuity issues: None. Favourite panel:  Favourite quote: "My plans involve secrecy … subtlety … subterfuge … " – Lando Calrissian falteringly attempts to explain the nature of his plan to find the droid K-3PX.
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Post by lindario on May 22, 2016 8:11:09 GMT -5
I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but it's cool how Lando retained his "mastery of disguises" in Return of the Jedi.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,215
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Post by Confessor on May 22, 2016 12:46:10 GMT -5
I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but it's cool how Lando retained his "mastery of disguises" in Return of the Jedi. I suspect not. Marvel had access to the script for ROTJ by the time that this comic would've been written, in order for Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson to produce the comic adaptation. I'm sure bits of it were leaked to Duffy, since she was writing the ongoing Star Wars series. That's probably why she gave Lando a penchant for disguises in the ongoing series at around this time: to tie-in with events in the movie. |
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Post by Bronze Age Brian on May 23, 2016 12:31:11 GMT -5
Here's the back of the upcoming Star Wars Epic Collection The Original Marvel Years Volume 1- It's Jaxxon! I would love to see Jaxxon somehow pop up in the new Star Wars movies. Especially since Disney technically owns both properties. C'mon Disney make it happen! Speaking of which, I was looking at the cover of Star Wars #37 yesterday and could not believe my eyes...isn't that Finn's jacket?!? The resemblance is uncanny!  |
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